Destiny in War
by FuyuMitsukai
Summary: All out war is close at hand, yet hearts and feelings stir. There is hope left yet for Draco that Harry will be his... even though everyone and everything seems to be against him. DMHP. Side RWHG NLGW
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** All out war is close at hand, yet hearts and feelings stir. There is hope left yet for Draco that Harry will be his... even though everyone and everything seems to be against him. DMHP. Side RWHG NLGW

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter (Duh).

**Warning:** This will contain yaoi/gay/guyxguy relationships, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, don't bloody read it, okay?

**A/N: **Heh, I have started yet another story. I swear my muse is ADHD sometimes... 'Neway, I hope you'll like this one as much as you like my other ones. Comment and tell me how much you like it (please?). I'm doing page counts down at the bottom again... Thanks so much to my Beta, Akamatsu-san. -points- So freakin' awesome!

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**Destiny In War - Chapter One**

It had been two years since Harry had left Hogwarts for the last time. War was still brewing. Reports came in everyday of Death Eater attacks and magical creature societies of all kinds were being forced to choice sides. Small battles had been fought and won, but all out war was yet to come.

Harry, the leader and supposed savior in this war, was finding it hard to avoid the responsibilities that had been forced on him. In the past months, he had even stopped trying to. Important people, like strategists and advisors, were in and out of his London suburb home. He couldn't go out into Wizarding London without beings stopped. He was tired; so very tired of everything. There seemed to be no rest for him anymore.

Today had to have been the busiest days of the week. Ron and Hermione had finally gotten married that morning. It was a very beautiful wedding despite how small it had to be. Directly after, though, both Ron and Harry had to get to work again. They were always working together. Ron had the mind for strategy, it seemed.

Harry was finally home after such a long day. He hoped that the Minister of Magic was too preoccupied to visit him tonight. That was probably wishful thinking. The man never seemed to take a hint. He didn't understand how the idiot was still in office because Cornelius never had the brains to hold the position in the first place.

Sighing, Harry tossed his jacket on the back of the couch. A flick of his wrist and wand started a fire in the stone hearth, casting dim light into the room, chasing after the fading pinks and oranges of the sunset almost gone. Glancing over at his desk in the corner, he could tell that he had work yet to do. Rolls of parchment and unopened envelopes lay in neat piles on the glossed wood. He guessed from that neatness that Hermione had been over again.

Harry dropped down onto the couch and stretched until his back popped in several different places. The warmth from the fireplace washed over him and he closed his eyes. This was probably the first time in weeks that he could really relax. His dreams had been filled with death and dying and a constant feeling of helplessness. This feeling was why he was trying so hard while he was awake. He had taken to drinking dreamless sleep potions every night. He could make that potion in his sleep. In a manner of speaking. He didn't care anymore that they were addicting. It was the only way he could sleep now.

Day by day, Harry felt as if his energy was depleting. Maybe it was because of the lack of real sleep, or maybe because of all the responsibility he was forcing himself to take. He took it because it really was his responsibility. The wizarding world was looking to him to save them. He was the only one who could do it. If he failed...

Harry shook his head quickly to rid his mind of the nightmarish images that were produced. He couldn't fail. There was only one chance at this. If he failed to kill Voldemort, he would...

Harry gave a small, ironic smile to the fire. Funny how responsibility like this made you morbid. He was trapped to this fate, one of the world's making. And it felt like the world was laughing at him. He had no choice but to give it his best attempt. The thought of running away from it all flickered across the back of his mind, not for the first time that day. He shoved it back. That was the coward's way out and he wouldn't be taking it.

'_I'm no coward!'_ he thought fiercely.

Stretching once more, he stood up and slowly walked to the desk. A short bit of parchment lay in the middle of the arrangement with Hermione's neat handwriting on it. He sighed when he picked it up. It was probably another worry note.

_Dear Harry,_

_I came over to visit around noon. Obviously, you weren't here. Couldn't help myself when I noticed how massy your desk was. I didn't read anything, so don't worry._

_I noticed that you have dreamless sleep potions in your cupboard. I can understand you having them if you're having nightmares again, but please be careful. Those potions are highly addictive. Just please be careful._

_Much love,_

_Hermione_

Harry gave an amused hum and set the note to the side. Hermione was always so perceptive. She seemed so delicate lately. It was probably because of the fact that she was female was coming out from the back of his mind again. Even so, she was very clever and very useful.

He grimaced. He hated that way of thinking; thinking of people as tools in this war. It seemed to catch him now and then before he quickly shoved it back. It was how he imagined Voldemort would think. He picked up the pile of envelopes and started sifting through them. His eyes instantly picked out the sleep arrogant writing. Draco had written him again.

Harry tossed the others back on the desk and carefully broke the seal. He had first started referring to Malfoy as Draco in 7th year. The blond had come to him, cuts up and down his arms in the middle of Christmas break. At first he had thought that he had gone suicidal. Until Draco explained it. He had been disowned. The process involved cutting slashes up both arms and letting the person bleed until they were near death. Some pure blood families didn't stop the bleeding and just sent them off with the clothes on their backs to die on their own. Draco had made his way to Hogsmead and had found Harry. Maybe it had only been coincidence, but he could still see the hope in Draco's eyes when he saw Harry before passing out. With the help of Madam Pomphry, Draco was nursed back to health. For the rest of the year, Draco spent a lot of time with Harry and they became friends. The two still spent time together, but lately, Draco had felt distant.

The letter was out and unfolded in seconds. Maybe there would be some answers in here.

_Harry,_

_I am very sorry for my behavior of late. My family, well actually my mother, has offered to have me back in the family. I've been going around getting information, and it seems I cannot even trust my own mother. Despite flowery words, I knew the woman had not changed. Blaise has informed me that my father is dead. His appearances have been by polijuice. I don't know who though._

_It feels like I haven't seen you in months, but I'm afraid that I can't see you until I can find out exactly what it is that my mother wants. I would hate for anything to happen to you because I did something stupid._

_Take care of yourself. I'll send you another letter when it's safe again. Or at least as safe as it can be in this bloody war._

_Draco_

Harry sighed and folded the letter back up. It seemed that everyone was telling him to be careful. He wondered faintly why Draco telling him to do so didn't bother him as much.

He returned to the other letters, scanning over each of them and adding the new information to the back of his mind. In his heart, Harry wished that the war had never started, that Voldemort would just come out and try to kill him again. He knew that was impossible though. It was the nature of man to create an army more than was needed. It was frustrating.

Just as he finished scanning through the last letter, the room glowed green and Fudge stepped out of the fire. He immediately took off his hat and started turning it in his hands as he spoke.

"The Night Elf Queen is refusing audience with any wizards without her whole court, which means practically half the whole night elf population. The woman is infuriating. She can't see past-"

"Queen Allana has the right to be suspicious of us, Minister." Harry placed the final letter on top of the others (he had some sense of organization), then turned slowly to face Fudge. "I strongly suggest that you do not judge the elves before you've actually gotten a chance to know them. Or have you forgotten the lesson the Light elves taught you already?" He crossed his arms and leaned on the desk.

Fudge had the decency to flush and keep his mouth shut.

Nodding, Harry turned back to the desk and shuffled through the letters again. "There's been a division in the vampires. My sources say that they are willing to work with us..."

The older man nodded quickly and wiped his brow. "That is good."

Before Harry could state what the vampires' demands had been, there was a loud tapping. Both wizards' attentions were directed to the window. With a flick of Harry's wand, that seemed to appear out of nowhere, the window opened and a regal hawk owl flew in, coming to rest on the wooden stand by the desk.

"Whose owl is that?"

Harry quickly untied the letter from the bird's leg. "The vampires want to be part of the elite forces. I will talk to both Queen Allana and the vampire leader tomorrow." He glanced up at Fudge over his glasses, brilliant green eyes flashing. "I do not want you to be over here at any point tomorrow, Minister."

The man flushed angrily before appariting away with a loud pop.

Harry didn't care that Fudge was mad. It was his own damn fault. Pushing away the anger, he opened the letter. It was Draco's handwriting again.

_Harry,_

_My mother was the one posing as my father. She wanted me back in the family to carry on the family name. She doesn't know how long it will be before she is killed too. I'm back at the manor now. The ceremony was last night and now I have more cuts on my arms. Otherwise, I am fine. My mother has run away from the manor. What she did was entirely selfish. She knew I was the only chance left for the Black and Malfoy names to live on._

_Now that it is safe, I should like to see you. There is something that I need to tell you, but I want to tell it to you in person. Please send a note back with Arod telling me how soon I can expect to see you. _(Harry noticed that the hawk owl was still there on the stand, preening its feathers.)

_Draco_

Instinctively, Harry turned the paper over, his eyes searching. He spotted what he was looking for within seconds. A small, inked pair of wings stood out, to him at least, on the parchment. He was relieved to see they were green. It was a code Draco and he had. Green meant Harry had been the only one to see it. Red meant that someone had intercepted it. He must have been out of it to forget to check the other letter.

After a quick search of his desk, he found a blank bit of parchment. Then he pulled the chair out, sat down, and reached for his quill and inkwell.

---

_Draco,_

_I would like to see you too. Unfortunately, I am very busy tomorrow. I have to meet with Queen Allana and then I have to meet with some rebel vampires after nightfall. You can come at any time during the day tomorrow, but I won't have time to talk until late in the night and then I'll be too tired. Either way, I hope to see you this week._

_Ron and Hermione finally got married today. It was small but very sweet. It's amazing how close those two are while all of this is happening. I hope we can find someone as faithful someday. I imagine you'll have to find someone to keep you in line._

_Anyway, feel free to come over at any time this week. Just not tonight. I am entirely too tired._

_Harry_

Draco stared at Harry's large, loopy signature for a second before folding it back up and setting it on the desk before him. Soft gray eyes flashed silver.

"You have no idea, Harry," he whispered. "You're the only one that could keep me in line."

---

Fudge paced angrily around his study, a letter clenched in his hand. Dismissed like a subordinate and then this!

The letter fluttered to the ground, showing several signatures. Cornelius Fudge was no longer Minister of Magic.

* * *

Paper (not front and back) 8 

Word Document 5


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary:** All out war is close at hand, yet hearts and feelings stir. There is hope left yet for Draco that Harry will be his... even though everyone and everything seems to be against him. DMHP. Side RWHG NLGW

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

**Warning:** This will contain yaoi/gay/guyxguy relationships, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, don't bloody read it, okay?

**A/N: **I am soooooo sorry it took so long to get this up. I actually got it back from my beta about four months ago. But now I'm finished with it and now you know I'm not dead. I am working on the other stories. I'm considering taking down NEE and maybe rewriting it because I'm ashamed of it. I will get reader's opinions before I actually kill it though. SMtMoL is on hiatus because I'm going back over and rewriting some parts. If I put a new chapter on that one, you might want to go back and read some of them, though there won't be much content change, just style change. AAO is still in progress. Hopefully I'll be able to finish another chapter soon and get it to you.

I'm dropping page counting. It feels pointless to me now. :/

Much luv to my Beta, Toki. ♥

* * *

**Destiny In War - Chapter Two**

Gentle morning light drifted into the newly wed Weasley's town apartment window, casting a soft, yellow glow over the sleeping occupants. Ron shifted as he woke, tightening his arms around his wife. His eyes opened and he looked down at the curly-haired head resting on his chest. He smiled and smoothed her hair.

She stirred. "Morning already?"

"Yeah. But you don't have to be up until later. Go back to sleep."

She shook her head. "I'm already up. You know I won't be able to get back to sleep."

He chuckled. "Harry sent a letter last night asking for you to go with him tonight for the meeting with the vampires."

"You told me."

"Oh." He paused. "That makes me uncomfortable."

"What does?"

"You meeting with the vampires."

Hermione smiled up at him and kissed him tenderly on the lips. "I'll be fine. Besides, Harry will be there if they try anything. And you know I'm not exactly defenseless."

"Still, am I not allowed to worry about my wife?"

She giggled and kissed the tip of his nose. "I like that." She sat up, holding the blanket around her chest. "Alright, my husband. I'll ask Harry to have me in with the elves instead."

He sat up as well and kissed her forehead. "Thank you."

---

Harry woke with a start, gasping for air. All his senses attacked him at once. Everything seemed to be in a hazy yellow glow, there was the sound of water running, and something smelled like toast and eggs. Squinting, he sat up and instinctively reached for his glasses. His hand found his glasses and he put them on.

He was on the couch, the whole room bathed in morning yellow. The ashes that should have been in the fireplace were gone. So he had fallen asleep at the desk again. But who had moved him?

"Draco?"

The sound of water stopped and Draco appeared in the doorway with his arms crossed. "You guessed right this time," he said, running a hand through his blond locks. Harry noted that his hair was a long as his father's had been. "It was almost too easy to move you to the couch. You've gotten lighter. Been starving yourself again?"

Harry snorted and positioned himself against the armrest, knees drawn up. "Not on purpose. I just don't have the time." He crossed his arms over his knees, his fingers fiddling with the black fabric of the blanket that had fallen from his chest when he sat up. "What are you doing here?"

Draco gave an amused smirk and moved to sit on the other end of the couch, facing Harry. "You said anytime this week."

Harry 'hmph'ed and leaned back. "You didn't have to make breakfast."

Draco crossed his arms. "Of course I did."

"Or the dishes."

"Harry..."

"I can take care of myself."

"How often have you been taking those potions?"

He didn't hesitate. "Every night."

Draco sighed and leaned forward. "You know how addictive those are?"

"Of course. I don't care anymore."

There was a long moment of silence.

"You forgot to take some last night, didn't you?"

Harry finally looked away. "Yeah."

Draco sighed again before standing up. "Look, go eat and get changed. Queen Allana sent someone over while you were sleeping. They expect you at noon."

---

Harry arrived at the Ministry at ten with Draco in tow. The whole place was in an unusual state of excitement. There was a buzz of talking in the air and laughter rang out every now and then. Ron was standing nervously in the lobby, waiting for him.

"Glad to see you haven't betrayed us yet, Malfoy."

"Ron!" Harry crossed his arms angrily.

Ron laughed. "I was joking, Harry. Chill, mate."

They started up toward Harry's and Ron's office. "So what's going on? Something's gotten everyone in high spirits."

Ron handed a paper to Harry, who frowned at it. "What's this?"

Draco, who had been reading over Harry's shoulder, answered. "It's a resignment petition."

Harry quickly started counting the signatures as he opened the door to the double office. "There're more signatures here then are needed. So Fudge is out." He looked up at Ron. "Who are they trying to put in?"

Ron suddenly looked nervous again. "You. They want you to be the Minister of Magic."

Harry dropped the parchment onto his desk. "What? No! I already have too much to do without that!" He could feel his heart clench and he leaned heavily on his desk.

Draco gently placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "It's okay, Harry. Calm down."

The rush and panic Harry was feeling disappeared, replaced by a sudden calm. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He was aware of papers rustling and the low murmur of talking outside of the office. It occurred to him that he might have been on the verge of and anxiety attack. If Draco hadn't calmed him down, he was sure he would have been either laughing hysterically or crying, unable to stop either once he started.

"I'm not doing it."

"No one's forcing you to, Harry." Draco said as he started rubbing his shoulders.

Harry turned around slowly. They were very close for a moment before Draco stepped back. The warmth from Draco's hands still lingered. He looked at the blond questioningly. Draco only smiled.

Ron was talking again. "They're going to ask you. I would suggest a public announcement that you have no intention to be Minister. I know how much you hate it, but it's the quickest and best way to keep you out of office."

Harry's mind instantly jumped to work. "But who should we put in?"

Draco cleared his throat. "If I may make a suggestion?" he asked.

"Go ahead."

He held his hands out palms up, a gesture suggesting that what he was going to say was very obvious. "Dumbledore."

Harry looked over at Ron, and the redhead nodded. "That would work. Even though you're not going to be the one in office, you will be suggesting that a more qualified person take the job. Those who don't trust Dumbledore as much will accept him because Harry Potter is appointing him."

"I hate using my fame that way, but it looks like we might have to." He turned and started through the papers on his desk. "But will he accept?"

"Without a doubt. If you need him Dumbledore will do it."

Harry barely held back a cringe. There was that way of thinking again. Maybe it got everyone at times like this. "Okay then, we need to go find Dumbledore."

---

Within forty minutes, Dumbledore was found and the situation explained. With that familiar twinkle in his eyes and a soft smile, he agreed.

Harry didn't like talking to reporters. Past experiences with the press made him very conscious of himself whenever he had to do this. Lately, he found himself having to give public speeches, which wasn't any better in his opinion. He tried to avoid it whenever possible. He had to do it this time, though. If he didn't, there would be no impact.

Draco watched as he paced back and forth, dry-washing his hands. "I could do it for you."

Harry quickly shook his head, still pacing. "Not as effective."

Draco crossed his arms. "You need to calm down then."

"I'm trying," he snapped.

Draco reached out and stopped him, hands on his shoulders again. Calm rushed over him.

Harry sighed, his body relaxing. "How do you do that?"

Draco leaned forward a little, still rubbing his shoulders. "I'll tell you later. Go make your announcement."

---

"As of last night, Cornelius Fudge is no longer Minister of Magic, and, contrary to popular belief, I will not be taking the position. Instead, I will appoint someone else to the position, if the public will have him."

The question was raised. Who? Who better to take the position as Minister of Magic than the Wizarding Savior, Harry Potter? Who does he trust to take over something so important?

Harry gave a very charming but fake smile. "Albus Dumbledore."

---

Draco led a slightly shaking Harry back to his and Ron's office. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" the former asked.

Harry shook his head ruefully. "They wouldn't stop asking bloody questions."

Draco chuckled. "Well, that's their job, isn't it? The public has a right to know what they can give them."

"You really don't believe that bloody nonsense, do you? They tell the public only what they feel can cause controversy and suspicion."

Draco opened the door for him. "You sound cynical," he said with a laugh.

Harry turned around in the doorway to glare at him. "Oh, ha ha. Very funny, Draco."

Draco smirked and shoved him in the room. "I know. I'm absolutely hilarious."

Harry rolled his eyes and checked his watch. Eleven fourty. "I have some time before I have to go meet Queen Allana, so we have some time to talk." He cleared away a spot on his desk for him to sit. "Only if you want to though. I'm rather curious as to how you've been getting me to calm down. What spell is that?"

Draco crossed his arms and leaned against Ron's desk. "That's part of what I wanted to tell you. I doubt you have time for that story."

"Hmm. Well, you can start."

Draco shook his head. "This is something I need to tell you in one sitting."

Harry pouted playfully. "Fine then. Have it your way."

They sat in companionable silence until Ron's rushing into the room broke it. "Harry, the veela court is requesting an audience." Draco pushed away form Ron's desk as the redhead spoke.

Harry frowned. "Now?"

"Well, no. But in a few minutes." He shoved his hands in his pockets.

Harry checked his watch again. "Hermione can't go alone. I was thinking she didn't have to go. Can we get them to agree to another time?"

Ron shook his head. "They're being stubborn."

Harry sighed. "I can't be in two places at once."

"I'll go talk to the Veela Court for you," Draco said softly.

Harry turned to him, blinking at how close he was.

"Harry Potter?"

Harry quickly turned his attention to the doorway where a slender young woman with pointed ears and a clinging silk dress stood. "Can I help you?"

The woman tilted her head, dark tresses spilling over her shoulder. "I am here to take you to Queen Allana."

Harry sighed. "Alright. Give me a second." He touched Draco's shoulder lightly. "Okay. You can go talk to the Veela for me. Ron, tell Hermione I'm sorry she couldn't come with me." He walked slowly to the door, bowing to the elf as she bowed to him. "Lead the way."

Ron sighed and leaned against the wall next to the door. "When do you plan on telling him, Draco?"

Draco glanced at him. "I'll tell him tonight."

"You already talked to Dumbledore?"

He nodded. "Yesterday."

"So everything's in place. You should have nothing to worry about. I don't know why you were worried in the first place. I highly doubt he'll say no."

Draco looked away. "I need to be sure he can't say no. If he does..."

Ron quickly stepped forward, gripping his shoulders. "It's okay, Draco. He won't say no."

---

Harry was led to a spacious conference room in which the lights were dimmed. The elf that had led him to the room detached herself from his side and moved to stand by the wall with two other elves in similar dresses. Harry presumed they were somewhere at the level of servant.

Harry turned his attention to an elf lounging in the middle of the room. The furniture had been moved out to accommodate the large, dark silk draped sudan she was on. She was dressed in pale blue silks and a sheer white veil over her nose and mouth. Sharp blue eyes studied him carefully and her black hair was pulled back away from her face with an ornate silver band.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter, for coming. It is an honor."

Harry bowed respectfully. "The honor is all mine, Queen Allana. I apologize for any problems Mr. Fudge may have caused. I don't know how he heard of this meeting in the first place."

Allana gave him an amused smile as she leaned forward. "Any revenge I could have taken on the man has already been taken by someone else. Either way, we elves are not ones to take revenge on one who did not know better." She smiled serenely and sat back. "Now, if we are done with introductions and greetings, shall we move on to business? King Haselthed of the Light Elves has informed me of your question. Do you still wish to know if you are elf kind?"

Harry nodded slowly. "I do."

She motioned with a delicate hand for him to approach the sudan. He kneeled beside the chair and she placed her hand under his chin. Her blue eyes studied him carefully. "All the tell-tale signs are there." She dropped her hand. "I'm sure you've been through this before, so you should know that it won't hurt you if nothing happens. However, if you are part night elf, you will want to sleep. I will give you some of my energy since you have much yet to do and I have little." She lifted both hands, placing them on the sides of his head.

"That's not nec-" He broke off with a gasp as a chill ran through him. He found himself straightening up and shivering.

This was different from what Haselthed had done. There had been no chill, no shivering, and no gasping. Something was happening this time.

A murmur came from the elves lining the walls, soft musical tones slowly forming actual words in his mind.

"... unexpected..."

"... amazing... how..."

"... father..."

Suddenly the chill stopped and he slumped against the edge of the sudan chair. Allana gently lifted his chin. Her other hand pushed his hair away from his ear. "It seems you are elf kind, Harry Potter."

---

Hermione burst through the office door, bag hanging half open and her hair more mussed up than usual. "Did I miss him?"

Ron looked up from the paper work on his desk. "You missed both of them. Draco's with the Veela Court and Harry's with the elves."

She dropped her bag with a sigh. "Damn." She lifted one hand in a fruitless attempt at smoothing her hair. "Well, Dumbledore got the Veela Law reinstated."

Ron sat back. "I'll be sure to tell him."

"I can tell him." She crossed her arms. "I'm not going home yet."

Ron smirked. "You should, though."

"Why?"

He stood up and walked around his desk. His arms went around her, drawing her close so he could whisper in her ear. She blushed and giggled, nodding quickly with the smile a loving wife gives her husband.

"Alright, alright." She stood on her toes and sealed her lips over his for a moment. "I'll go home."

---

Harry looked up at Allana. "What did you do to me?"

Alana released his chin and ran a finger over his ear. He shivered for some reason. "In part elves, the elven blood needs to be brought out to show the features." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Only a small part of you is elven, but it was enough for me to sense and bring out." She made a small motion to the wall, or rather the servants. One of the three, this one with dark brown hair and eyes, detached herself from the wall. "Would you like to see?"

Harry noticed then the round mirror in the servant's hands. He took it from her and held it out. He nearly dropped it.

His emerald green eyes were showing intensely through his glasses, his emotions shining like a book with pages printed in large text. His face was narrower and his eyesbrows thinner. His hair was no less wild, but was darker and seemed to have a bluish tint. The biggest change though was the elegant points of his ears. He looked almost... feminine.

The mirror was returned to the elf, who smiled at Harry before she returned to the wall.

"You are very handsome, Harry," Allana said, drawing his attention back to her. "Along with the changes, you should also be able to see in the dark to a degree and understand and speak Elvish."

Harry got to his feet slowly. "Thank you for this, Queen Allana." He bowed as she sat back weakly. It seemed she had already transferred her energy. He turned to the door. When his fingers touched the doorknob, Allana spoke again.

"Your father would be very proud."

---

Harry entered the office with both hands trying to smooth his hair over his ears.

Ron barely glanced up. "How'd it go?"

Harry moved to his desk. "Good. They will offer help and contact any of the other elven societies."

Ron still didn't look up from his paper. "You okay, mate? You sound odd. Like... I donno. I can't put my finger on it, but it's there."

"Like bells." Harry jerked around to face the door and found Draco right in front of him. "Harry, what did she do?"

Harry raised an eyebrow and lifted a hand, pushing his hair behind his ear. "Isn't it obvious?"

Ron finally looked up. "Bloody hell, Harry. You look... girlish!"

Harry shot him a glare. "Apparently my dad was part night elf."

"Is that why you had all those meetings with the elves alone?"

"Yes."

Suddenly Draco gently took Harry's chin in his hand, and for a second, Harry thought Draco was going to kiss him. "It suits you. You make a very handsome elf." Then the contact was gone and Harry wondered why he suddenly wished Draco had kissed him.

Draco drew back a few steps. "The meeting with the veela went well. They asked for the Veela Law to be reinstated."

Harry frowned. "The Veela Law? I'm not familiar with that."

Draco crossed his arms, relaxing slightly to start his explanation. "Basically, it protects a lot of veela from dying because their mate rejected them. If the mate is better off living with the veela, he or she is placed under the care of the veela. However, if the mate gains nothing from the relationship or if the veela would be a hindrance, the veela is required to go to the Veela Court and request a bond transfer. A replacement for the mate is found and the bond that would have been made is transferred to the replacement. The resulting relationship isn't as fulfilling, but the veela doesn't die."

Harry tilted his head slightly. "Alright. That's fine by me."

"Good," Ron said quickly. "Because Dumbledore already did it."

Draco glanced quickly at Ron, then at Harry, seeming to hold back a sigh of relief. "Did he? I wonder why."

Harry laughed. "Probably some unfortunate veela found out their mate isn't likely to agree and petitioned him. I'm not at all surprised. Dumbledore is a sweet old man." He busied himself with some of the papers on his desk so he didn't see the brief flush crossing Draco's cheeks.

---

It was half an hour before the meeting with the vampires and Harry finally found a moment to himself. He sat slumped in his chair, a mug of coffee on the desk in front of him. He sipped from it occasionally, grimacing each time. He hated coffee, but it was all that was keeping him awake. He stifled a yawn behind his hand as the door opened, admitting Draco into the room.

"Tired?"

Harry gave him a faint smirk. "What do you think?"

Draco walked around the desk to stand behind Harry's chair. His hands went to the brunette's shoulders and his fingers started working on the knots that had formed there. "Looking forward to the meeting?"

Harry relaxed against the back of the chair. "Not particularly. These vampires broke off because they like to keep their food alive. The others just kill whoever they feed off of."

"That doesn't sound so bad. If you can convince them to find donors who are willing..."

"Oh, I know they'll agree to that. That's not what I'm worried about."

"What are you worried about then?"

"Apparently a large part of the vampire-donor relationship is sex, so they tend to flirt outrageously if they don't have a donor. Not something I'm looking forward to."

Draco's hands tightened involuntarily on Harry's shoulders. "I'll go with you."

Harry seemed to take this a gesture of comfort and he looked up at him. "You don't have to."

Draco turned the chair around so Harry was facing him and leaned on the armrests. "Oh, I insist. Wouldn't want any of them taking what's mine, now would I?" He raised an eyebrow.

Harry laughed. It was an ongoing joke between them, that if someone tried to claim one of them, they would both say that he belonged to the other. It was mainly just to stay out of relationships that would just get in the way. Neither of them could afford to be attached to someone right now.

Harry's laughter subsided and he smiled up at Draco, but it slowly faded. There was that feeling again.

"What are you thinking about, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "It's nothing."

Draco leaned forward a little more. "No, tell me."

Harry sighed. "It's just a silly thing. I keep getting this feeling that you're going to kiss me."

Surprise registered in Draco's eyes for a second. "Do you want me to?" he said softly.

Harry blinked. "Wh-what?"

Draco pulled back with a smile. "I'm kidding." He glanced at his watch. "Should we be going now?"

Harry glanced at his watch as well. "Oh. Yes, we should." He stood up quickly and stretched. Picking up the mug, he chugged the rest of the coffee and made a face when he put it back down.

Draco shook his head. "Why do you drink that stuff if you don't like it?"

Harry shrugged on his jacket. "It keeps me awake."

Draco frowned at him. "Energy drinks do the same thing and they taste better."

Harry grinned and Draco suddenly got the impression that he was going to stick his tongue out at him. "I haven't ever got around to buying myself one, so sod off."

Draco just laughed.

---

Once out of the ministry offices, Harry and Draco were greeted by a pale-faced young man with slick black hair to his waist. He flashed a smile and his fangs gleamed a little in reflection of the dull street light. A quick glance around reassured Harry that there was no one around to have seen. Not that a muggle would have noticed anyway.

"Lord Malfoy, Lord Potter. If you will follow me."

Harry grimaced at the title, but said nothing. Vampires had their own ways of addressing someone. Servants and blood donors were called by name, if spoken to at all, and in turn, those who were "owned" called their "owners" Master or Mistress. In respectful terms, others were called Lord or Lady, no matter what their social standing was. They never followed other societies' formalities, and that made them hard to deal with.

Harry glanced over at Draco and noticed the blond's hand tightly gripped on his wand as they walked. Harry gently reached to touch his hand, giving him a steady look until he noticed and put his want away. The silence was unnerving, but necessary. Vampires had a strange sense of honor. Speaking in the presence of a servant - whom Harry assumed their guide was - when you were being taken to speak with their master was an insult. There were several other ways to insult them, so you had to be careful. The vampire led them further and further into the city, and Harry now wondered where they were going. He suppressed an angry sigh. It would be impolite to ask.

Suddenly they stopped in front of a rather broken-down looking shop for selling fabrics.

"Master Lesar is waiting for you in the back room." He opened the door for them and waited for them to enter before closing the door and walking away. Harry glanced at Draco before making his way through the dusty bolts of cloth scattered on the floor. After another quick glance around, Draco followed him.

Just when Harry was about to reach for the handle, the door opened. A young girl stood in the doorway her eyes trained on the ground. The silver collar around her neck distinctively labeled her as human.

"Lord Malfoy, Lord Potter," she said meekly before turning and walking back into the room.

Harry followed her after a few seconds and was enveloped in a soft red glow. A large bed draped in dark silk was in the center of the room. Several humans and vampires lay on the bed, most in scandalous clothes and positions. Propped up against the pillow at the back of the bed was Lesar. The girl who had opened the door was crawling over the bed to where he lay and wrapped herself around his arm, nuzzling his shoulder. He smiled down at her and brushed his long blond hair out of his face. Then he turned his reddish eyes back to them.

"Harry Potter," he said softly with a small, secretive smile. "You've grown up nicely. Very nicely indeed."

Harry started at the look in his eyes and blushed. "Pardon?"

Lesar chuckled. "You look cute when you blush. Too bad your parents wouldn't let me bond you as a child..."

Draco suddenly stiffened and a growl started in his throat. Harry turned to him in surprise. "Draco?"

Draco stepped forward and in front of Harry. "He's spoken for," he nearly snarled.

Lesar merely chuckled and raised an eyebrow in silent challenge. The tension between them suddenly became very pliable. Draco's hands twitched, one curving slightly to pull his wand out.

Harry noticed this and slipped his hand into his. "Draco." The tension seemed to drain out of Draco when he looked at Harry. He gave the blond's hand a reassuring squeeze before moving to stand beside him. "Lesar, I believe we came here for a reason." He crossed his arms and gave an amused smirk.

Lesar nodded and returned the smirk. "Of course. To business." He made a lazy motion and a human male in slightly transparent silk trousers came forward. He handed Harry a roll of parchment with a small wink before turning back to the bed. Harry frowned at the parchment, ignoring the servant, and looked up at Lesar.

"Go ahead," the vampire said with a nod. "Read it."

Harry slowly unrolled the parchment and started scanning over it. He suddenly scowled and rolled it back up. "Lesar, need I remind you that it was you who petitioned us. You are in no position to be making demands."

Lesar sat up slowly, pushing the girl off his arm. "Oh? I was under the impression that you wizards were in need of us."

Harry closed his hand into a fist around the roll. "I don't know where you get your illusions, but we do not _need_ you. You asked us for acceptance into the Order. I was ready to accept you when you asked to be an elite force, but this," he held up the fist with the parchment, "is too much to be asking for." He dropped his fist to his side. "Beggars can't be choosers and you have no where else to go. Unless you want to go back..."

Lesar growled and shoved the girl back even further. "How dare you! Do you know who you're dealing with?"

Harry's eyes narrowed. "I'll dare all I want, Lesar. Do you know who _you're_ dealing with?"

Lesar was on his feet and in front of Harry in seconds, fangs bared. "I think you underestimate me, Harry Potter."

"Harry," Draco said carefully.

"It's alright, Draco. He needs to find out for himself what he's getting himself into."

A murmur ran through the harem on the bed and Lesar glared over his shoulder. It was his fight.

"Well, Lesar?"

Suddenly Harry was thrown against the wall, the breath knocked out of him. Lesar gripped his chin, shifting it up until his throat was exposed, and pinned Harry to the wall with his body. "I'll show you, Potter," he muttered as he drew his face close to Harry's neck. "I'll show you who is more dangerous."

"Harry!" Draco started for his wand, but stopped when hisses came from the bed.

Harry broke out of his daze and suddenly Lesar felt the point of Harry's wand harshly against his own throat. "I'll give you the count of three to let go of me."

Lesar growled. "You're at the disadvantage, Potter. Give it up."

"One..."

Harry's wand was yanked from his hand. "Give it up."

"Two..."

The wand snapped in half. "You're mine, Potter."

A soft smirk reached Harry's lips. "Three."

It was as if that word was a signal to set something off. Lesar was suddenly thrown back by an unseen force back to his place on the bed. His head dropped to his chest. The human girl crawled to him and let out a soft wail. "You killed him!"

Draco scowled. "Don't be ridiculous." The girl continued to wail, but was ignored. Draco turned to Harry.

Harry stood panting against the wall, his right hand hanging limply at his side. "Draco," he said softly. "Do you think you could help me? I think I'm stuck."

Draco nodded and carefully pulled on Harry's shoulders. There was a soft crack and Harry suddenly stumbled into Draco. A definite outline was imbedded into the wall. Harry looked back at the wall and laughed, drawing the gaze of those on the bed.

"Looks like I over did it again. Is he alright?"

Draco scowled at him and helped him regain his balance. "Of course. Are you done yet?"

Harry glanced at the bed. "Almost. If one of you would be so kind as to tell Lesar that the rest of the meeting can be rescheduled at a time when he's more reasonable. Thank you."

Draco shook his head and pulled Harry by the arm out of the room.

---

"It's really irritating that he broke my wand," Harry said as he paced the length of the floor in front of his fireplace. "Now I'll have to buy another one."

Draco stretched out on the couch. "You have control of your wandless magic now. What's the point?"

Harry sighed. "Wandless magic can tire you out really quickly if you use it excessively."

"Ah, yes. The energy factor. I always tend to forget that, don't I?"

Harry laughed and stopped his pacing. "So... what was it you wanted to tell me?"

Draco sat up and patted the cushion beside him. "Sit." When Harry was seated, he shifted so he was facing Harry. He watched as Harry drew his knees up to his chest and set his chin on them.

"Well?"

Draco sighed. "I don't know how to really say this, so I'll just be straight forward. I'm a veela."

Harry blinked once, then twice. "Oh? Really? Is that why you were disowned?"

Draco looked away. "That has a little bit to do with it."

Harry leaned forward. "Draco, what's the other part?"

Draco bit his lip and Harry shifted to his knees with a worried frown. Draco never did that. After a moment, he turned his silverish eyes on Harry. "You, Harry." His voice sounded choked. "You're my mate."

Harry sat back on his heels and stared at him, shocked. "Me?"

Draco nodded.

Harry stood up and stared pacing. "So when you calmed me down, it was because of..."

"Yes."

"And the Veela Law?"

A slight flush crossed Draco's cheeks. Fortunately, Harry didn't seem to notice. "Yes."

"You really though you were going to need it?"

Draco turned his focus to the floor. "Yes."

Harry stopped in his pacing and looked at Draco. The meekness bothered him. He was truly worried about rejection. He reached out and gently lifted his chin. "Draco, we've been friends for two years now. That is an amazingly long time to wait to tell me. It's a long time to make sure you developed a good relationship with me."

Draco diverted his eyes but allowed Harry to keep his hold on his chin. The touch alone felt so good. "I didn't want to chase you away."

Harry frowned and removed his hand from Draco's chin to place on his hip. "Draco Malfoy, if you don't stop acting depressed, I will hex you." He smiled when Draco looked up in surprise. "Listen," he said as he sat back down. "I don't see a reason to say no to you. It's going to be a little odd for me at first, but I'm not going to say no if you need me. I'm going to give this a try but you're going to have to give me some time." After a slight hesitation, he took Draco's hand. "Okay?"

Draco squeezed Harry's hand and brought it up to his lips. He watched the blush form on Harry's cheeks and smiled. "Thank you, Harry."

"You're welcome." Harry gently took his hand back and stood up. "Where'd you want to sleep?"

Draco stood up and got as close to Harry as he could without touching him. One hand lifted to brush the hair over his pointed ear. He smirked. "Actually," he said in a low voice, "I was hoping we could share a bed."

Harry felt his face heat up and he stepped back twice. "Draco!"

The blond only laughed.

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, I realize that Lesar has already been used for a vampire's name before, but I didn't remember until a few days ago and I don't feel like changing it. So don't get mad at me for it. It's just a name.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary:** All out war is close at hand, yet hearts and feelings stir. There is hope left yet for Draco that Harry will be his... even though everyone and everything seems to be against him. DMHP. Side RWHG NLGW

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

**Warning:** This will contain yaoi/gay/guyxguy relationships, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, don't bloody read it, okay?

**A/N: **Yay, another chapter finished. Be happy!

Love to my Beta, Toki. ♥

-----

**Destiny In War - Chapter Three**

Harry woke with a habitual jolt. A familiar yellow glow bathed the room and a distant humming sound was heard. When he sat up slowly, he realized that he was in his own room, but he couldn't recall ever going to bed. Sighing, he threw back the covers and set his feet on the floor. To his surprise, he found himself dressed in yesterday's clothes, minus his shoes. He breathed a sigh of relief. Of course Draco wouldn't try anything. They weren't schoolboys anymore. He had no idea why he had even thought of it.

When he entered the kitchen, he found the source of the humming. Draco was finishing arranging two plates of bacon, buttered toast, and eggs, humming as he worked. Harry ran an hand through his hair and leaned against the doorway.

"How are you up so early?" he grumbled.

Draco smiled at the sound of Harry's voice and turned to him. "Well, good morning." He had a freshly showered look and that 'morning-person' glow that would have bothered Harry had Draco not been who he was. The fact that he was Draco Malfoy made a world of difference.

Humming again, Draco seemed to glide across the floor with and effortless grace over to where Harry stood in the doorway. He stood a head taller than him and Harry wondered how that had happened. Maybe his elven inheritance made him shorter. Draco leaned forward and placed a hand on the doorframe behind him, making him feel smaller.

"I want to kiss you," Draco said softly, his other hand raising to cup his cheek.

Harry swallowed nervously and looked searchingly into Draco's eyes. They flashed silver. It seemed to Harry that they always turned sliver when he was like this.

Tearing his eyes away, Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Draco immediately stepped back, though his hand lingered on his cheek for a moment. Several words of understanding passed through that touch, but the longing that was also there made Harry wish he would say something. The following silence felt uncomfortable.

Finally, Draco cleared his throat and motioned toward the table. "Hungry?"

---

The walk to the Ministry Office was uncomfortable to Harry. Draco had insisted that he stand as close to Harry was he was allowed. Harry hardily listened to the explanation, but it had something to do with the fact that his "veela side," as he called it, was calling for close contact and wouldn't be ignored. They weren't touching or holding hands, but if Draco chose to, he could reach out a few inches and touch Harry's hand. Another few inches and he could touch his hip.

But that wasn't what bothered Harry. What bothered him was that every time their hands "accidentally" brushed, Draco's face would brighten to a cherry glow. Harry was frightened at what a simple touch could do to Draco.

When they finally got up to the office, Harry felt Draco's hand sliding over his own. Harry's other hand froze over the handle. A strange, warm feeling washed over him. He didn't understand this feeling. This should have felt awkward, but it didn't. He turned to Draco slowly with a questioning look.

Draco raised an eyebrow in return. "Have you forgotten how to open a door, Harry?" he asked, gently. Before Harry could open his mouth to protest, he reached past him with his free hand, opened the door, and then nudged him forward with their connected hands.

Ron looked up as Harry entered wearing a slightly miffed look on his face. "What took you so long? It's just a door. You've faced - oh!" His words faulted as his eyes fell on upon their hands. His attention immediately shifted to Draco. "So you finally told him. I told you that you wouldn't have to worry, didn't I?"

Harry gawked at him. "You knew?"

"Of course he knew," Hermione huffed as she pushed past Draco and Harry, causing everyone in the room but Harry to jump. Harry suppressed a snicker as Ron looked nervously up at his wife, who had her hands on her hips. "He didn't even tell me!"

Harry laughed, drawing Hermione's glare to him. "Oh chill, Hermione." He sighed and crossed his arms. "I am astounded, Ron. How very Slytherin of you."

Ron's jaw dropped and Hermione laughed lightly. "Harry," he started gravely, "don't ever call me a Slytherin again."

"It's insulting," Draco added.

Harry touched a hand to his chest, feigning offense. "Come one, we're not in school anymore."

Draco took Harry's hand and started tracing lazy circles on his palm. "How would you feel if Ron called you Slytherin for hiding your elven heritage from him?"

Harry looked curiously at his hand. "Draco, it's not fair of you to use your veela tricks on me."

Draco smirked at him. "I'm Slytherin. I'm allowed to. Now answer the question."

"Alright." He breathed in softly. "Honestly, I wouldn't care. Those school rivalries are behind me. And... Draco stop it. That's not necessary."

Hermione tilted her head. "What's he doing, Harry?"

"He's relaxing me," Harry said blandly. "Relaxed people normally say more than they mean to."

Draco chuckled. "You're very clever, Harry. What were you going to say?"

Harry sighed. "I was going to say that it wouldn't have bothered me much when we were in school anyway... well, at least not in the last few years of school."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why not?"

"You're not being fair either, Ron."

"Come on, Harry," Hermione pleaded. "We all want to know now. Stop dragging it out."

Harry looked down at his hand again. "Well, part of it was because of Draco and the other is... the sorting hat wanted to put me in Slytherin."

The reactions weren't exactly instantaneous, but Harry quickly had two shocked faces and one amused face looking at him. Draco abandoned rubbing Harry's hand and put his arm around his shoulders.

"Now there's an interesting possibility."

"Shut up, Draco."

There was a soft rapping on the office door. "Harry Potter, Queen Allana wishes to speak with you."

Harry spun around and out of Draco's hold to face the same elf that had come for him the day before, this time dressed in pink silks. "I'm free now, if she is."

"Of course, sir. Follow me."

Harry made to leave, but Draco stopped him with one hand on his shoulder. Harry glanced back with a small smile. "I'll be fine, Draco. I can take care of myself."

"You better," Draco said softly, releasing him.

Harry chuckled and followed the other elf from the room.

Hermione placed a gentle hand on Draco's shoulder. "You're the possessive type, aren't you?"

Draco stiffened slightly to the touch. "All veela are. Even the submissive ones."

"Harry's not one to cheat on anyone, so don't worry."

Draco sighed. "I never said I was worried about that."

---

The room was just as dark as it had been the last time he was there, except this time the sudan was draped in dark red and the woman seated there was dressed to match. Her attendants were dressed in pink.

Hesitantly, Harry moved to kneel before the sudan. "Queen Allana. You wished to speak with me?"

Allana leaned forward and tilted his chin up with a delicate hand. "Harry Potter, though you are elf-kind, I will not require you to bow to me. You are celebrity in your own right." Harry opened his mouth to protest, but she quickly cut him off with a finger over his lips. "Call me Allana."

"Allana," he said slowly, testing the name by itself. "Was there something you needed to tell me?"

Smiling, the elf queen sat back, supporting herself with her elbows. "Of course. You are a busy man, so I won't keep you for long. This is a matter that needs to be dealt with now."

Harry's lip twitched slightly. "You're dancing around the subject."

Humor drained from her face and she brushed the white veil back over her hair so she could see him better. "As I've said before, your father is the source of your elven blood. During his seventh year, James was approached by Lucius Malfoy."

Harry suddenly stood up. "You mean Lucius Malfoy's mate was my dad!"

Allana reached out and touched his hand to calm him. "I take it you already know of the Malfoy's veela heritage."

"Of course! I'm Draco Malfoy's mate."

She dropped her hand with a sigh. "I was afraid of this. It seems your families' bloods are perfect for each other. Please tell me you're going to reject the bond."

Harry stared at Allana in shock. "You're joking, right?"

"Harry, it will be easier for the both of you if you just-"

"You mean easier for you!" he shouted, causing everyone in the room to jump. "I will not abandon him! He's my friend! Why are against us bonding?"

"Harry, the veela court can find him a new mate. You don't have to-"

"I refuse! Just because it's easier, doesn't mean that it's the right thing to do. And I won't do it! I'm not my father!" With that, he turned and ran from the room, slamming the door behind him.

Allana sighed and started rubbing her temples. "Is he already that attached to him?"

---

The door opened with a loud crash and a crackling sound filled the air as Harry entered, hands balled into fists and a shadow over his eyes. Draco looked up in surprise from his seat in front of Harry's desk Before he could ask what was wrong, the door slammed shut and papers started ripping themselves apart violently. Alarmed, Draco shot up and rushed through the confetti to his mate's side.

Harry was hardly aware of the arms surrounding him until Draco's soothing voice finally reached him and his body relaxed of its own accord. The red haze cleared from his vision and he sank into Draco's hold, suddenly tired.

"What happened, Harry?" Draco's hands were on his shoulders skillfully smoothing out the tense muscles.

Harry melted under the touch and sighed, not really caring that Draco had pulled him into his lap. "Allana wants me to reject the bond like my father did with your father."

Draco hesitated slightly. "So she told you too."

Harry turned to face him, frowning. "Did she tell you or did... Draco, whatever you're thinking, stop now." He lifted a hand to brush Draco's cheek as if hoping to wipe the despairing look from his face. "I'm not going to reject you, but you can lower your allure." He dropped his hand with an embarrassed glance at the paper scattered on the color. "I'm calm now."

Draco snatched up Harry's hand and held it to his cheek. "But Allana told you-"

Irritated, Harry placed his other hand over Draco's mouth. "She has no authority over me. She said so herself. Besides, there's no way in hell she can make me abandon you."

Draco's expression still didn't change as he removed Harry's hand from his mouth. "Harry, you don't have to stay for me. The head of the veela court has another mate picked out for me already, so you can live a life free of the bond. You can be happy."

An unreadable expression slid over Harry's features and he pulled away from Draco. When he stood up, hands clenched at his sides, the air cracked dangerously around them. "I take it Head Council Hytake believes I'll do the same thing my father did. Do you... do you really... How can you believe that!" When his voice rose into a shout, Harry leaned forward to grip the arms of the chair Draco was still seated in. "Do you think I am repulsed by you? Is it because I wasn't ready for you to kiss me this morning? Do you really think this will pull us apart? You should know better!" His face drew closer to Draco's. "A veela can never be truly happy without his true mate. The same thing goes for the mate, doesn't it? Doesn't it!? Why anyone ever rejected a veela is beyond me! A person has to be insane not to - oomph!"

In the middle of Harry's rant, Draco reached up and pulled Harry's shaking body into him. After enfolding the brunette in the tight embrace, he lifted one hand and started smoothing down his hair. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to upset you, Harry. I lost myself there for a moment." Both Draco's hands moved down Harry's back and then up to his shoulders, relishing the feeling of having his mate pressed against him. The crackling disappeared and Harry sat back rigidly, but didn't move from Draco's lap. He looked pleadingly at the blond.

"Please, Draco. Tone down your allure. You really have nothing to worry about."

Draco gave him an ironic smile. "I'm sorry, Harry. It's really hard for me not to kiss you right now and my body's trying to help that along. I'm trying to keep it under control." He raised a shaky hand to brush his cheek and Harry shied away from the gesture by turning his head slightly.

Big mistake.

Instead of touching Harry's cheek, Draco's fingers brushed the tip of Harry's ear. At the contact, Harry gasped and shuddered. Surprised by the reaction, Draco jerked his hand back. "Harry?"

Harry shook his head slowly and lifted his own hand to touch his hear lightly. "I - I'm not sure, but I think my ears are sensitive to touch."

"I'll say. Harry, you reacted as if I had just-"

"Please don't say it."

Draco chuckled softly and placed both hands on Harry's upper arms, saying nothing.

"You're shaking, Draco. Are you alright?"

Draco smiled briefly at the concern in Harry's eyes and voice, and then gently pushed Harry to his feet. "Maybe you should stay back for a minute or so. Your reaction placed images in my mind that I'm finding hard to ignore with you so close. You have no idea how incredibly sexy that was."

Harry immediately flushed and stepped back several times. "T-tell me that sooner! I don't want to make this any harder for you than it has to be."

Draco stared at Harry silently for a moment before bursting into laughter. Harry's irritated expression quickly quelled his mirth.

"I am being serious, Draco Malfoy. What the hell is so funny?"

Draco leaned forward and crossed his arms over his knees. "Harry, were you worried at all that I might do anything to you?"

Harry frowned slightly. "Well, no. Should I have been?"

With a smile, Draco quickly stood up, closed the distance between them, and enveloped the shorter man in his arms. "Don't ever change, Harry. It makes me very happy to know that you trust me."

Harry shifted back enough to look into the veela's eyes. "This isn't causing you any problems, is it? Being so close to me?"

Draco sighed and placed a soft kiss on Harry's forehead. "I think I can handle it now. However, if I did not have the moment to clear your scent from my head, I don't think I would have been able to stop myself from kissing you... among other things. Can you promise me that you will back away from me when I tell you to? I don't want to do anything that you are not ready for."

"Of course," Harry replied solemnly. "I promise." He slowly relaxed back into Draco's arms and rested his head on his shoulder. "This feels good," he said softly. "I didn't expect to feel this comfortable with you so soon."

Draco smiled wryly. "Relationships with veela tend to be faster-paced than normal relationships. We are impatient creatures. You can't blame us for using the allure as a catalyst. I'm amazed that I haven't tried to use it on you until now."

"That is amazing," Harry murmured. "And that was a smart move on your part. Not using the allure before now, I mean."

"Why is that?"

Harry sighed and lifted his arms to wrap them around Draco's waist. "Because it's easier to fall in love with someone who you've known as an exceptional friend. In a sense, I already love you."

Draco's arms tightened around Harry's shoulders. "You really shouldn't be allowed to speak sometimes."

Harry pulled away and gave the blond a stern look. "What are you talking about?"

"You nearly made me cry, Harry."

Harry snorted. "Veela must be very emotional then."

"That may be true. But you really do have a way with words."

"Whatever." Harry turned his head to the side, listening closely. "Someone's coming."

As if on cue, the office door burst open moments later and Ron stood panting in the doorway. "Harry, we have - oh... er... am I interrupting something?"

Before Harry could answer, Draco tightened his hold even more and leaned down to press his face against his neck. "Give me a moment, please," he said and breathed in deeply. "Mmm... your scent is addicting."

A second later, they were standing apart and Harry felt a strong ache in chest. Desperately, Harry's hand sought out Draco's and he held it to his chest. The ache disappeared.

"You felt it too?" Draco asked softly. Harry only nodded and tried to catch his breath. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist and then I let go of the allure too quickly."

"Don't worry about it, Draco," Harry said, gently squeezing Draco's hand. "I'm fine."

"I guess I was interrupting," Ron muttered as he leaned against the doorframe. "Ready to throw another fit, Harry?" He looked pointedly down at the shredded papers on the floor.

Embarrassed, Harry made a quick gesture at the paper and the pieces started fusing themselves back together. "What is it, Ron?"

"We have a problem. Head Council Hytake and Queen Allana ran into each other and, well, they sort of started fighting. It took a few stunners to knock them out."

"That is a problem," Draco said as he took both of Harry's hands. "Calm down."

"I don't have the authority to send them to Azkaban, do I?" Harry growled.

Ron barked out a laugh. "Unfortunately, no, you do not. You would get into a lot of trouble with the Protection Board for Magical Creatures. They would consider that discrimination."

"Right. Me. Discriminating. Okay. Come on, Draco. Those two need to be straightened out."

---

The Aurors in charge of the elf queen and the head of the veela court knew that Harry Potter was not at all happy when he kicked the door open and slammed it shut behind him and Draco Malfoy. The blond seemed to be trying to calm their leader down without much success. After surveying the unconscious figures on opposite side of the room, Harry turned to the Aurors with a tight smile.

"You two are dismissed. I will call for you if I need help."

Relieved, they turned to leave.

"Relax," Harry called after them. "You are not the ones I am angry with."

The words of comfort only made them hurry faster out of the room.

Once the door closed behind the two ministry workers, Harry sighed and turned to Allana while Draco turned to Hytake. Two revival spells were murmured and each of the magical creature leaders awoke to see their subjects glaring down at them.

Clenching his fist, Harry drew back from Allana to stand in the middle of the room. "What the hell is wrong with the two of you?"

Hytake sat up straight and lifted his chin. "You have no right to talk to me like that. I am Head Council."

Harry rounded on him. "Are you? Last time I checked, leaders and royalty were supposed to remain dignified in public, not start brawling in the Ministry lobby like muggle high-schoolers. Has that changed?"

Properly abashed, Hytake slumped against the wall and glared over at Allana, who had glued her focus to the floor, as if it was her fault they were being scolded. And by someone younger than them!

Satisfied that they were going to listen now, Harry plopped down onto the floor and motioned for them to come closer. Allana did not hesitate, but Draco had to nudge Hytake to get him to start moving. The two were finally seated a few feet away on either side of Harry and he reached for Draco's hand to pull him down in front of him.

"So, which one of you would like to start explaining? How about you, Allana? You haven't said anything yet."

Allana nodded and pushed her veil out of her face. "This can be boiled down to one thing. I am Hytake's mate. We completed the bond, but because we have to govern out people so far apart from each other, we get irritated with each other. I suppose we were trying to punish each other for being gone so long."

Harry raised an eyebrow at her before turning to look at Hytake. "Well?"

Hytake crossed his arms. "Perfect explanation as always. I don't see need for my input."

Sighing, Harry took both Draco's hands and squeezed. "Let's never get separated, okay?"

Draco laughed and brought one of Harry's hands to his lips. "Agreed. I would hate to have to fight you when you're angry."

"Harry," Allana said gently, "do you intend to complete the bond with Draco?"

Harry tensed. "I've already given you my answer. I refuse to abandon him. Don't make me yell at you again."

"Good," Hytake said as he stood up. Allana rose with him. "Both of you would have been terribly unhappy without each other." He took Allana's hand and kissed it tenderly. "How I missed the feel of your skin, my lady. Shall we reacquaint ourselves?"

Allana smiled and allowed Hytake to steer her to the door. "Of course, my lord."

When the door closed once again, Harry sighed and fell onto his back. "They really are like school children. Eager for sex or a fight and never keep to one opinion for too long." He closed his eyes. "What time is it?"

"I'm not sure, but it seems like you need some rest."

Harry snorted, but when Draco moved to place the elf's head in his lap, he didn't resist. "I have a question for you."

Draco started running his fingers through Harry's hair, carefully avoiding his ears. "Ask away."

"The bond. How do you complete it?"

Draco chuckled. "I was wondering when you were going to ask that." He sighed. "You've probably heard about loving someone one with you all your heart and then your body. Veela believe that love also involves the mind and soul. The bond is made up of those four parts in this order; mind, heart, body, and soul. Each part is considered a stage.

"The mind stage is the acceptance of the bond. Sometimes it is called the 'friendship bond'. This will make or break the relationship and can be the hardest to achieve. We don't have to worry about this one anymore because otherwise I wouldn't be able to use my allure on you. We probably achieved it a little after we left Hogwarts.

The heart stage is a confession of love from both people that has to be true. The body stage is, very simply, sex. Rape doesn't count, though there hasn't been a case of rape in a hundred years. The soul stage is absolute, I-would-die-for-you love. It sometimes takes years to reach."

"It sounds like you've done your homework," Harry muttered.

"Do I get a treat for knowing the answer?"

For a moment, Harry's mind felt muddled and he opened his eyes to look up at Draco. His eyes were silver. "Maybe," he breathed.

Draco's eyes widened slightly and liquid silver returned to cloudy gray. The strange ache filled Harry's chest again. "I'm sorry. I used it again. I didn't even think about it."

Harry pulled Draco's hand from his hair and held it against his chest. "You need to stop letting go so quickly. It hurts." He gently squeezed Draco's hand that was resting over his heart. "Right here."

Draco lifted both of their hands and brushed his lips over the back of Harry's. "I promise I'll be more careful."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary:** All out war is close at hand, yet hearts and feelings stir. There is hope left yet for Draco that Harry will be his... even though everyone and everything seems to be against him. DMHP. Side RWHG NLGW

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

**Warning:** This will contain yaoi/gay/guyxguy relationships, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, don't bloody read it, okay?

**A/N:** Pah-ha. This one actually was almost done when I got to it, so I'm ashamed that it took me so long to finish it.

Love to my beta, Toki.

**-----**

**Destiny In War - Chapter Four**

There was nothing Ginny wanted more than to run up to Harry and write "Property of Ginny Weasely" all over him. The thought was more possessive than she truly was, but ever since Malfoy had changed sides, Harry had been growing distant from her. From her! The person he was supposed to fall in love with and marry! They were supposed to live happily ever after! Damn that Draco Malfoy!

Ginny poked angrily at her breakfast of eggs, sausage, and toast as she attempted to sooth her nerves.

"Calm down, Ginny," she muttered to herself. "There's nothing to worry about."

That was her mantra now. It was what she clung to now. The limited time she was allowed to interact with Harry was starting to get to her.

It was for her protection, of course. Get kidnapped once and your freedom goes out the door. Two amateur Death Eaters had kidnapped her in order to draw Harry into a trap. What they hadn't counted on was Dumbledore.

Of course Harry had tried to go and rescue her himself, but for his own safety, he had to stay behind while the Aurors were sent. Dumbledore convinced Harry to stay and that romanticized dream was crushed. The Death Eaters were so easily defeated too! Had she been kidnapped with her wand, Ginny was sure she could have taken care of the idiots herself.

So now Ginny was limited to once a week visits with Harry that were guarded for the most part. Ron had absolutely forbid that Ginny was to be seen as Harry's potential love interest. It would put Ginny in more danger than she needed to be.

Furious, Ginny stabbed at her plate again. It wasn't fair! Why could Ron and Hermione risk their lives when she couldn't? She wasn't a child anymore, damn it!

"Ginny?"

Ginny snapped from her thoughts at the sound of Hermione's voice. The brunette was reaching across the table to stop her hand, concern flooding her features.

"What's wrong, Ginny?"

She jerked away from the touch on her hand. "It's not fair!" she spat. "Why can't I see him more often than Malfoy!"

Hermione sighed and sat back.

Oh, no. Not that stance again. She refused to listen to another it's-for-your-own-good lecture.

Ginny stood up abruptly. "No, Hermione. Don't give me that. How can he spend all day with Harry when I only get a few hours once a week? I love him, Hermione!"

Hermione raised a hand to her face and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Dammit, Ginny. Why can't you let him go? He's spoken for now."

Ginny stared at her blankly and then suddenly her face darkened. Of course. Hermione had told her that Malfoy was a veela. "You mean..."

"Yes, Draco Malfoy."

"Harry's not gay," Ginny said flatly.

"Veela blood doesn't care about gender."

"Harry's not gay," she repeated.

Hermione sighed and stood up. "If I were you," she said softly as she gathered her dishes, "I would give up on Harry. There is no way you can compete with a soul mate."

"Harry's not gay!" Ginny spun on her heels and stormed out of the room, her chair falling over in her wake.

Hermione sighed when the front door was slammed shut. "Harry, I hope you can handle that better than I did."

"Handle what?"

Hermione turned towards the voice and sighed again as Ron's arms wrapped around her. "If you run, you might be able to catch your sister before she tries to murder Draco."

Ron groaned and dropped his forehead to her shoulder. "Already?"

Hermione lifted her hands and started rubbing his back. "You knew this was coming. Sooner or later."

He pulled away and grabbed his coat from the rack. "Yeah, well, I would have preferred later."

Smiling, Hermione gripped his chin and pulled him down into a quick kiss. "Good luck."

"Oh, come on now," Ron purred as he lifted her from the ground and held her tightly. "I'm going to need more luck than that."

Hermione giggled and kissed him again. "You need to hurry."

"Mmmm, one more."

**-----**

Ginny was just outside the ministry offices when Ron caught up with her, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her to a stop. She spun around to face him, eyes livid.

"Ginny, you need to calm down."

She stared at her brother. "I don't believe this. You have to be upset about this too."

Ron frowned, but kept his grip on her arm. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Ginny flushed and glared at him. "He's your best friend! How can you let him do this?"

Ron sighed and relaxed his hold a little. "Ginny, my disapproval wouldn't have changed anything. It took me a long time to accept it, but they're perfect for each other and I'm not standing in the way of that."

"Perfect?" Ginny spat. "How can you say that, Ron? You used to hate him!"

"I'll admit my prejudice, but Draco's different now. He's not the same person he was." He grabbed her other arm before she could turn away. "Ginny, please. Don't go making a huge scene out of this."

"What, dear brother, would you consider 'making a huge scene'?" she asked acidly.

"Well, killing someone for starters. And causing bodily harm."

"Looks like you're taking the fun out of everything."

"Until you get over this stupid little crush, that's how it's going to be."

"It's not a crush!"

"Can I finish?"

Ginny huffed and made an attempt to cross her arms with Ron still holding them in place. "Oh, please do. Waste more of my time while that thing puts his filthy hands all over my Harry."

A shadow crossed over Ron's face and he shook his sister roughly once. "Listen to me, Ginny. Snap out of it. That was uncalled for."

Shocked at her own words, Ginny bit her lip. "It was, but I'm not going to apologize."

Sighing, Ron released her arms. "Fine. Go talk to them. Yell if you want. I'm sure you're entitled to at least one tantrum. But you need to learn to let him go."

Ginny turned away. "Whatever."

**-----**

Harry was having a relatively pleasant morning. Draco was in a good mood and it was infectious. For the past hour, Draco had recounted his side to things that had happened in the years thy spent at Hogwarts and Harry half-listened to the stories he had heard before while he scanned through papers he had to sign. It was slightly difficult to actually sign the papers with Draco taking up half the desk, so he was just placing them in two piles. The ones he didn't plan on signing were closer to the waste basket.

Draco finally fell silent and Harry glanced up at him. "What? No more stories?"

Draco blinked fiercely and Harry had to wonder exactly what the other had been thinking. "Sorry. I was just wondering how you can do that and listen to me at the same time."

Harry raised an eyebrow, sensing a half truth, and then looked down at the petition in front of him. "These are just petty things and I've heard most of your stories. Don't get me, wrong. I enjoy listening to them."

Draco leaned back on his hands, frowned, and his lips formed a half pout that made Harry smile. The expression was rare for the proud young man beside him, so Harry felt pleased whenever the mask broke for him. It meant Draco was truly comfortable with him.

Disgruntled, Draco beat his heels a few times against the desk drawers, casting a glare at Harry when he chuckled at the childish action. "Alright, then tell me what story you haven't heard."

Harry sat back and picked up the last petition waiting for his approval. He gave it a quick scan before ripping it in half - the pervert that kept petitioning for unisex bathrooms needed to give up - and then he turned to face Draco again. "Third year," he said abruptly. "During the Quidditch match. You and your friends pretended to be dementors."

The drumming of Draco's heels ceased and he frowned. "You remember that?" He sounded a little nervous.

"Of course I remember. I remember pretty much all of our conflicts. Especially the times that you got in trouble."

Draco rolled his eyes and slid on the desk so he was seated in front of Harry. "Which was how often?"

Harry scooted his chair back a little but instinctively leaned forward. "That's besides the point. I still want to hear your side."

Draco sighed. "Fine, fine. Where do you want me to start?"

"Well, who's idea was it?"

"Mmm, that would be Blaise."

"He wasn't a very nice boy, was he?"

"You had an unique reaction to the dementors. He was just curious about emotional responses. He still is."

"Then you might want to keep him away from me."

Draco's hand twitched slightly and he gripped the edge of the desk with both hands. "Why do you say that?"

"He might want to see how jealous you can get without getting himself killed."

A low growl escaped Draco's throat and he jerked to his feet, pulling Harry with him and crushing him to his chest. A hand gripped Harry's chin and Draco's lips froze inches from Harry's.

Harry lifted his own hand to wrap around Draco's wrist. Sensing Draco's inner battle that held him still, Harry spoke. "I shouldn't have said that. You know that was a joke, right?"

The tension drained out of the veela and he signed. "Of course. I just..." He sighed again. "The thought of someone else all over you ticked me off a little bit."

Harry smiled wryly. "I am sorry about that. Are you better now?"

"Just give me a minute and I'll be able to let go of you."

Harry nodded and settled his forehead on Draco's shoulder. "Take your time."

As Harry closed his eyes, he faintly noted just how comfortable it was for Draco to be holding him like this. It was only the third day that they were officially "together" and Harry felt completely at ease like this. I was as though the uneventful day before had drawn them even closer together.

"So, what were you thinking when my patronus was running at you?"

Draco groaned and gently pushed harry back into his chair. "I though you had forgotten."

Harry grinned. "Not at all. Now spill."

Draco carefully leaned on the edge of the desk. "Alright. The patronus." He crossed his arms. "Well, I had no idea that you had conjured the damn thing, so it looked like it had come out of nowhere. That, added to the fact that it looked like it was charging at me with plans to knock me over and possibly kill me... well, I freaked and ran."

Harry laughed, holding his arm across his stomach when it started to hurt, and Draco scowled at him. Before Draco could snap that he had laughed long enough, the door slammed open and Ginny stomped inside the room before the door bounced off the wall and shut behind her. A moment of silence passed over them before Ginny yanked Harry's chair out of the way so she could stand in front of Draco, hands on her hips.

"Stay away from him, Draco Malfoy! I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you are nothing! Nothing! Do you hear me, you stupid pretty boy! Nothing!"

Shaken from his shock, Harry pulled Ginny away from Draco just as she was about to brandish her wand. "Stop it, Ginny! What the hell is wrong with you"  
Ginny immediately spun around and flung her arms around Harry's neck.

"You're supposed to be with me!" she cried. "You're supposed to fall in love with me, kill all the bad guys, and then marry me. We're supposed to live happily ever after!"

Harry stood there stiffly as Ginny sobbed all this into his shoulder. "Ginny"

"We're supposed to. Not him. Not him!"

Gently, Harry pried Ginny off and then held her at arms length. "Ron and Hermione have already talked to you about this, haven't they."

Eyes shinning with unshed tears, Ginny looked away from him.

"Then you already know what I'm going to say."

"No!" Ginny quickly jerked away and ran from the room. The door slammed once more behind her and Harry dropped into his chair with a heavy sigh.

"What the hell am I going to do with her."

Silently, Draco stood up and leaned over Harry. For a moment, neither of them moved or spoke, their faces close enough to feel the other's breath on their lips. And then Draco drew back, a hand over his eyes. In the turn of the veela's lips, Harry could read an expression of pain. Confusion flooded him.

"Draco, what is it?"

"Do you still love her?"

"Draco-"

Suddenly the blond was gone from the room and Harry was left starring at the now empty space in front of him. Another sigh escaped Harry's lips and he ran a hand through his hair. "Dammit, Ginny."

**-----**

Ginny stood impatiently in front of the lift and when the doors opened, she made to shove her way past the people getting off. When a hand touched her shoulder, she jolted in surprise.

"Ginny? What's wrong?"

Ginny spun around, ready to start yelling, but instead she relaxed. "Oh. It's only you, Neville. Don't scare me like that."

Neville smiled nervously and drew his hand back slowly. "I'm sorry I startled you." His eyes flicked from her face to the lift doors that had just closed, leaving them behind, down the hall, and back again. "You seem a little upset. Are you alright?"

"That's an understatement," she muttered, leaning forward to press the button for the lift a few times.

"Pressing the button repeatedly usually makes it go slower."

Ginny turned slowly this time, afraid to confirm what her ears told her. So much for hoping.

Harry's gaze quickly shifted to his right and Ginny suddenly remember Neville. Odd. It was like his presence had drained from her senses when Harry appeared.

_Obsession._

No, no. She was not obsessed. She just like Harry more than she liked Neville. That's all.

Neville shifted beside her and she could tell he was uncomfortable. "I, er, should go."

Harry shook his head. "Stay. I won't take long." Piercing green eyes shifted back to Ginny.

She shook her head violently. "No matter what you say, I'll never understand why you're with him all the time."

Sighing, Harry ran a hand thought his hair. "I'm trying to-"

"No!"

"Dammit, Ginny!" Harry shouted. Silence filled the hallway and heads poked out of offices. A glare in both directions made faces disappear back into their offices and the noise of people busy at work resumed.

Ginny stared down at her feet.

"Listen to me, Ginny."

Her eyes lifted to his face slowly.

"You need to understand what I am to Draco and what he is to me."

"I get it," she snapped. "He's a veela."

"I'm his mate."

"You can't know that!" Tears choked her voice. "It could be a hoax!"

"This isn't a game, Ginny! This is real. You can't fake what a veela feels for their mate. Ever."

Ginny wiped angrily at the tears spilling down her cheeks. "It's not fair."

"Tough luck," Harry snapped. "Life's not fair. You'll just have to deal with it."

The sound of Harry's feet walking away made Ginny's heart ache. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair. It wasn't -

Suddenly strong arms wrapped around her and a soothing voice hummed in her ear. "Shhh. Don't cry, Ginny."

This time, she didn't bother to wipe away her tears. Her pride was already wrecked. Instead, she turned to face Neville and had her face in his shoulder.

"No one loves me!" she sobbed.

Neville's arms tightened around her and a weight pressed lightly on her hair. "That's not true. Don't say that."

"But it's true!" Ginny cried. She pulled away and out of his arms to look in his eyes. "How could anyone like me find love?"

Irritated, Neville stepped forward and gently took Ginny's face in his hands. "Listen to me. You're being ridiculous. There are other people in the world to love besides Harry Potter."

"But we were supposed to-"

"It's a shame the world doesn't always follow human planning then."

Ginny's eyes widened slightly. "Why are you saying this to me?"

Sighing, Neville leaned down and touched their foreheads together. "Because I want you to open your eyes and see what's standing right in front of you."

"Neville, I-"

She trailed off, staring at him. What was standing right in front of her that she couldn't see? Was he speaking metaphorically or literally? And what was with his attitude? Normally he was...

Oh...

Oh!

Ginny looked shyly down at the ground. Of course. Why hadn't she seen it sooner? No, she knew why. She just didn't like what it meant. She had been too obsessed with Harry to notice anyone else.

Looking back up into Neville's eyes, she took one of his hands and pressed it to her lips. "You're getting brave again."

Neville quickly averted his eyes and blushed. "It's your fault."

Ginny laughed. "Then I should take responsibility."

**-----**

Harry spent the rest of the afternoon and into the evening searching the ministry building and the surrounding area for Draco. No one he asked knew where the veela was and by the time Harry returned to the ministry lobby for the third time, worry for Draco was eating at him. If Draco somehow convinced himself that Harry had rejected him, he was probably searching for a way to suitably kill himself. Harry was still reeling from the realization that Draco felt threatened by Ginny Weasley. How many times had he told Draco that he just couldn't see himself married to her anymore? Too many to count, he was sure.

Despair started to set in when Harry reached his office. When he closed the door behind him, he felt his heart clenched at seeing the room empty. Sinking to the floor, he laced his fingers through his hair and pulled until it hurt.

"God damn you, Draco Malfoy," he hissed. "Don't you leave me."

Without warning, the office door slammed open and Draco stood before him, eyes puffy and red. With a bewildered look, he kneeled in front of Harry and hesitantly reached out to touch his shoulder. They stared at each other in silence before Harry suddenly leaped froward, knocking Draco on his back.

"Harry?" Draco croaked. "Are you alright?"

Harry pried himself away from Draco to look down at him. "Am I okay? You stupid fool! I've told you a hundred times before that I don't feel anything for her anymore." He placed his hands on Draco's shoulders. "What possessed you to run away like that?"

Surprised, Draco shifted uncomfortably. "I-I thought that-"

"Well, you thought wrong, you insecure, idiot veela!" Harry snapped, crossing his arms. "I ought to hex you."

"You shouldn't. You still don't have a wand. You'll tire yourself out."

"You worry too much."

Sighing, Draco placed an arm behind Harry's neck and pulled him down into an awkward hug. "I'm sorry."

"Ah." Harry let out a heavy sigh. "Your allure, Draco. There's no need for it."

"I'm sorry. I can't help it."

"Stop apologizing." Sitting up again, Harry placed a hand in Draco's cheek. "I suppose I'll have to do this formally in order for you to truly relax."

"What are you talking about?"

With a soft smile, Harry rolled his eyes and leaned back down, cutting off anything else Draco was about to say with a small kiss on his forehead. "Draco Malfoy, I accept you as a veela and I give you full permission to seduce me as your mate."

Frozen by the kiss, Draco could only stare at Harry as his mind slowly processed his words. "What... you... Merlin!" Grinning suddenly, Draco rolled so that he was seated on Harry's waist. "You mean it?"

"Of course I bloody mean it," Harry huffed, his face slightly red because of their swapped positions. "I said it, didn't I?"

"Oh, I could kiss you," Draco cooed.

Harry blushed darkly, then quickly hooked an arm behind Draco's neck and crashed their lips together in a brief kiss before letting go. "Gotcha first," he quipped, sticking his tongue out at him.

A mild shock passed over Draco as he stared at the childish look Harry was giving him. A few seconds later, he socked Harry lightly on the shoulder. "You prat. I was supposed to kiss you first."

Harry simply laughed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary:** All out war is close at hand, yet hearts and feelings stir. There is hope left yet for Draco that Harry will be his... even though everyone and everything seems to be against him. DMHP. Side RWHG NLGW

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

**Warning:** This will contain yaoi/gay/guyxguy relationships, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, don't bloody read it, okay?

**A/N: **Writer's block finally gone. Took long enough.

Love to my Beta, Toki.

-----

**Destiny In War - Chapter Five**

"I should have known you were the worst person for the job. How hard is it to join the Order? Honestly."

Lesar watched as Pansy Parkinson paced before him, his red eyes narrowed dangerously. Was this pudgy-looking human calling him stupid? He silently entertained the thought of just killing the woman and finding a different way into Voldemort's inner circle.

"You screwed up badly this time, Lesar. Someone needs to deflate that enormous pride of yours."

Was she seriously still talking? "Potter is allowing me another meeting to redeem myself," he hissed softly.

Pansy finally stopped pacing and eyed him carefully, finally taking in his threatening body language. Sniffing sharply, she turned her back to him and started picking through the Daily Prophet on the table before her. "Maybe you haven't mess up completely then. The Dark Lord may…"

She trailed off, her jaw hanging open in a particularly unattractive fashion. When she started making strangled noises, Lesar stood and stole a discreet glance at the paper in her hands.

_**Boy-Who-Lived Official Veela Mate**_

_Yesterday Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter made and official statement to the public that, as of last week, they…_

Lesar's lips pressed into a thin line. A small part of him was disgusted that he was just as upset as the now screeching female but that part was quickly overwhelmed by fury.

Harry Potter was his. He had already stated claim to him.

Pansy's voice started reaching higher octaves and she finally stormed from the room, the crumpled news paper clutched in her hand. Lesar stood there, allowing his fury to build until he couldn't take anymore. A second later, he was gone.

Harry was _his_!

---

When Harry woke, he was greeted with the quiet sound of breathing next to him and the feeling of fingers running through his hair. A smile tugged at his lips when he opened his eyes to see Draco watching him with soft eyes. After some stretching, Harry settled against Draco's chest, enjoying the extra warmth.

"How long have you been here?" he asked.

Draco resumed carding his hand through Harry's hair. "A while. You were having nightmares again."

"Ah." Harry pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, chewing mercilessly. He knew Draco didn't mind, but it bothered Harry that Draco lost so much sleep to calming his nightmares. He also knew by now that arguing about it with the veela was a battle lost before it started. Draco would rather Harry not resort to potions again and this was the only plausible solution. Harry still didn't like it.

Sighing, Harry sat up and looked down at Draco. "You stayed this morning."

Draco smiled and sat up as well. His fingers twitched like he wanted to touch the elf, but he kept his hands to himself. "You looked peaceful while you slept. I couldn't bring myself to leave such a beautiful sight."

Harry felt his face heat up and he quickly scrambled out of bed. "I'm making breakfast today," he said as he hurried out of the room.

Draco chuckled. "Still can't take a complement from me gracefully. Cute."

---

The trip to the ministry was as silent as ever, a simple tradition Harry still couldn't figure out how to break. He could only guess it had something to do with the number of stares they received, which was most likely because they were holding hands, which Draco insisted on. Any time it seemed someone was staring too long and too hard, Draco's lips would twist into a half snarl. In the end, Harry concluded that it must be a veela thing and resolved to help Draco relax some. So far his efforts weren't working and he was far too nervous to try something besides talking to him. Now and then Harry could feel Draco's allure surrounding him and he would nudge the veela's arm and murmur his name. Draco would apologize and Harry would threaten to hex him with his new wand if he didn't relax. Even with the threat, Draco wouldn't relax until they were finally in the office.

Ron greeted them with a solemn voice and an anxious expression. He was shuffling through reports distractedly and didn't pay close attention to Harry's concerned words.

"Ronald Weasley, what the hell is your problem today?" Harry ground out, trying to mimic the red-head's mother. When he got no response, he turned to Draco and settled himself snugly against his chest, his hands on the other's hips.

Draco could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he blinked at Harry in confusion. Harry stayed pressed against him but was frowning at Ron, who seemed oblivious to what was going on. "Oh, I see," he said softly, drawing Harry's attention back to him. When Harry's expression turned to confusion, Draco grinned widely and placed his arms low around the elf's hips and his head on his shoulder. Draco's lips flirted with his jaw line and Harry made a small startled sound.

"Draco!" Harry admonished when Draco bit down. "That's enough!"

There was a loud cough and a red-faced Harry not-so-gently pushed Draco's face away from his neck.

"Geez, you two," Ron snorted. "Get a room."

"You done sleep-walking?" Draco drawled as he pulled away from Harry, who quickly yanked on his hair to cover the red mark just below his ear.

Ron pursed his lips and waved at him dismissively. "I'm not sleep walking."

"Then what do you call it?" Harry retorted.

Grunting, Ron ran a hand through his hair. "It's about Hermione." He mumbled something else under his breath and Harry chuckled. Ron watched him warily, not expecting Harry to have heard.

"I don't find anything wrong with Hermione wanting children, Ron," Harry teased, tapping one of his ears in answer to the silent question.

Ron gave an exasperated sigh and mumbled something along the lines of "damn elf-blood". "Well, I do! Sure, another reason to have sex is great, but… but…" He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You're not ready for a baby yet," Draco offered.

Ron fell heavily into his chair. "It's the war. We risk out lives to often for me to feel comfortable about her running around pregnant. I worry about her already. A baby would just make me worry even more. She's not exactly the stay at home type right now."

Harry frowned at his friend, struggling for words. What Ron said made sense, but hadn't his parents had him in the middle of a war that threatened their lives? There had to be some very positive motivation that could overpower such a worry. Harry couldn't figure out what that reason was.

Again, Draco spoke. "Have you talked to her about this?"

Ron shook his head. "Not yet. I'm afraid she'll convince me it's safe."

Harry, still deep in thought, frowned at Ron's desk, silently begging it to tell him the answers he was searching for. Just as he opened his mouth to add his thoughts to the conversation, there was a knock on the open door to the office and a light cough. All three men turned to see a short woman standing in the doorway, looking anxious and slightly dazed.

"Harry Potter?" she asked, her wide brown eyes flicking briefly to the bolt-shaped scar before training on his eyes.

Harry turned completely and took a slow step towards the woman. Something in her eyes told him she should be treated gently. "Can I help you, Miss?"

"C-can I speak with you?" she stuttered. Her eyes darted to Ron and Draco briefly. "A-alone?"

Harry hesitated, looking back at Draco, questioning him silently. He trusted the veela to sense if there was any threat in the woman.

"P-please," she cried, her voice breaking. "I need your h-help."

Draco met Harry's eyes and nodded discreetly. There wasn't much this sickly looking woman could do to his mate besides cough on him.

Harry nodded back and stepped closer to the woman. "Alright. I think we should get you to a medi-wizard first. Are you okay with that? We can talk on the way there."

The woman nodded sharply. "O-okay." She winced and started coughing harshly into a ragged looking handkerchief.

After Harry had gently guided the woman out of the office, Draco moved over to Harry's desk and started sorting through papers. Business was carried out with silence between the two men until the door burst open and both reached for their wands.

"Draco Malfoy, how dare you!" screeched a very red-faced Pansy Parkinson. She stomped her way over to Draco, waving a crumpled news paper at him as she ignored his wand pointed at her heart. "What is this?"

Draco calmly scanned the moving paper, snorting when he realized why the woman was so outraged. "You know you risk being arrested by being here, right?"

Pansy let out a furious scream. "Does it look like I care? Explain this! Now!"

"It's exactly as it says, Parkinson," Ron spat. "Now leave before I call someone to come collect your sorry ass."

"I wasn't talking to you, blood traitor," Pansy hissed.

"He's right," Draco snapped. "I'm a veela, Harry's my mate. I hope you understand that I never liked you in the first place."

As Pansy's anger increased, so did the volume of her screaming.

---

"Alright, just a little further."

"N-no."

Harry was growing increasingly concerned for the small woman clutching at his arm. The hallway they were stopped in was empty and silent besides her panting breath. Harry was worried she would pass out before he could get her to someone with some form of skill in medical spells. Now would be a great time for Hermione to pop up.

"I'm so tired," she moaned, falling against the wall for the third time in two meters. Harry sighed and allowed her another rest. He was starting to wonder if he should be moving her around at all. She was showing some signs of blood loss.

When her hand moved to cup the side of her neck for about the thirtieth time, a chill ran down his spine, his mind finally linking things together.

Wasn't Lesar old enough to heal the wounds he made when feeding?

Before Harry could even think to run, he was thrown against the wall, breath knocked from his lungs. The wand he had scrambled for clattered to the ground. The woman he had been helping slumped to the ground, open eyes gazing unseeing at the ceiling as blood pooled behind her head. He growled in frustration and loud twin clicks echoed in his ears.

"It's lovely to see you again, my pet."

"Lesar," Harry hissed. Struggling was useless. The vampire had him against the wall and from the feel of cold metal around his wrists, Harry could tell that Lesar was more than prepared for his wandless magic.

---

With as loud and distracting as Pansy was, Draco could still feel an unfamiliar chill run through him. Fear pierced his heart.

"Harry," he breathed.

A screech and a thud drew Draco back to the situation at hand. Pansy lay collapsed on the floor and Ron was bewitching a piece of paper to fly out of the office.

"What…?"

Ron just shook his head. "I'll take care of the trash. I don't know much about veela, but I'm guessing your sudden vacant state means something's wrong. Go."

Draco didn't need to be told twice.

---

"Who did you kill to get bonds strong enough to stop my magic?" Harry growled.

"My, my," Lesar chuckled. "So accusing. I didn't kill anyone for these." The metal shifted against Harry's left wrist as Lesar caressed it.

"So you threatened them."

"Perhaps. But enough of that. I had thought to take you away from here, but now that I have you, I think I want a little taste first."

When strong, cold fingers started forcing his chin up, Harry jerked against the wall, struggling with vigor. "Coward!" he yelled. He threw out a leg, kicking and knocking Lesar off balance. Both men fell to the floor and, fighting his lack of breath, Harry hurried to his feet. The instinct to run had his legs moving as his hands fumbled with the cruel manacles around his wrists. One clacked to the floor just as he was tackled to the ground. The force of the fall broke his right leg with a sickening snap. Harry choked down a scream and, with effort, rolled the vampire off and attempted to crawl away. Lesar easily pinned him again. This time Harry could only struggle feebly as his strength melted and drained from him as he fought against the solid iron strength of the vampire. Pain make his face turn white.

"I like it when my prey gets feisty," Lesar purred as he ran his long fingers along Harry's throat. "It's arousing." He grasped his chin firmly and turned his head to the side. "Now, let's get started."

Harry gasped in pain as fangs pierced his neck and he renewed his struggle despite the dull throb in his leg that adrenaline wasn't covering. Beyond the pain, he could feel his body being drained, sapping the rest of his energy and strength.

Lesar was taking too much blood for just a "taste".

Was he planning on turning him?

Lesar slowly pulled away from Harry's neck and raised his own wrist to his lips. Panic pierced Harry's heart and he grabbed the wrist, pulling it down before Lesar could bite himself.

"I'll kill you," Harry hissed.

Lesar laughed and pulled his wrist from weak hands. "With what stake? Hmm?"

Suddenly the vampire was bleeding from the chest just below his heart and stumbling away from Harry. "Malfoy!" he hissed.

Draco clutched a bloodied stake in one hand and his wand in the other. "Damn. I missed." He raised his wand and Lesar shrank against the wall. "I wouldn't bother running if I were you. _Igneus Solsolis!_"

A bright jet of yellow light with the intensity of the sun shot from Draco's wand, hitting Lesar in the chest. A piercing scream ripped from the vampire's throat and Draco turned away as the perfect white skin turned to ruined grey. The veela ignored the thump of the body hitting the ground and the cracking sound as it crumbled into ash. All he could focus on was his injured mate lying unconscious and broken in his arms.


End file.
